I am going to purchase an XH A1 training System and I thought I would ask if anyone has bought one and which one is the best? I don't want to buy something that doesn't help me. I know Vasst has one with Douglas Spotted Eagle, and I am leaning that way, but I would like to hear some positives and negatives of any training DVDs for this camera. J

John,

I'm just curious, what's giving you the most issues? Why not just go out and shoot with the A1 getting "On The Job" training?

I bought a "training" DVD several years ago on the DVX100 from Birns & Sawyer and found it to be a complete waste of time and money. Nothing I couldn't have figured out on my own one afternoon shooting with the camera...

Nothing has given me trouble yet, but when you watch a DVD with someone who knows how to control Iris, exposure, focus, and all the manual settings in different environments, then I to learn the same thing. I prefer to learn these things while using my own camera, not just any camera. The A1 is awesome, but there is a ton of things to learn. The main interest I have is HDV workflow. I want to learn what the best settings are for my A1 and how to use the footage captured from the A1 in VEGAS and learn the best Rendering techniques to get the most out of my projects. I just ordered the Sony Seminar Series for Vegas training, I know Vegas pretty well, but I cannot seem to get a final picture to DVD that is as good as what I could do on my old XL2. That bothers me. I believe the problem is rendering formats and settings (workflow), however, I have no idea what to do until I learn more about both, therefore learning the camera with training DVDs and the same with Vegas should shed more light on the situation. I would LOVE to see someone post their workflow from the A1 to VEGAS to DVD architect...EVERY setting, every step. But no one has done that, and it doesn't look like they are going to. Thanks Blake. J

Hi John,

I have the Vaaaaasst DVD and I would like to say that it is great. The second part tells you a lot about the A1. BUT, the DVD tells you everything. After that you have to develop your own taste and workflow with this camera.

See it like this: after the video you know a lot about the buttons and the settings, but then you have to build your own 'A1' to live with.

Of course you may have questions on your way to a final product. And that's why you can come here to this forum and post questions.

It's interesting though....and I have been thinking about your question.
My website is all the A1. It's in the Dutch language until now. I'm considering translation to English. And I may go out and try to do that: making ONE story about one complete workflow. But remember, it will be a workflow for one situation...let me know if that is interesting?

I wish I could help you with the Vegas HDV workflow, but I use Avid, and I'm still trying to figure the best way to make it work with HDV. :)

I always transcode my media to a different codec, and this is likely your issue for creating DVDs. In Avid I transcode to the DNxHD 145 codec, then I edit with that (no more Long GOP media). To create a DVD I then typically export a Quicktime Reference file or an Uncompressed SD Quicktime file and do the Mpeg encoding in Procoder Express. Nice results.

I recently downloaded a demo of Vegas to potentially use as an offline editor since Avid is quirky with the HDV 24F files, so if I figure anything out I'll let you know. But I hope the training DVDs work for you...

Adding my two cents. I received my A1 last week and it is my first prosumer camera. I will order the Vassst dvd because I expect it to give me an overlook at the camera and a sense of all its possibilities. Also I think a good training video has also the advantage of giving you a sense of "doability" , its not about unsderstanding everything at once, but knowing that it's not brain surgery and that making you more secure in your learning process and not be overwhelmed by the camera and the process.
The truth is you put the cam on automatic and you will get good stuff, starting from that you can only improved by learning the ways of your camera and that's what I hope the Vassst video will give me.
Gert, I hope you will make your website available in english. My goal is to focus on the A1 and Final Cut Express for the next few years.

Yeah Gert, I would love to see that in English! Please do. J

Yeah Gert, I would love to see that in English! Please do. J

John, I'm not an expert in the A1. But I see this as a learning curve for me and every other A1 starter. I think it would be fun to make this.

I have more than one camera: A1 and some smaller stuff. I could make a videocast of it and place those files on the internet. Everyone can download them and watch them on their pc.

I think that would be great. I would certainly be appreciative. J

Any info on this , has anybody used this out there??

XHA1 XHG1 Made Easy 90 Minute DVD by Elite Video
Hosted by Video veterans Bob Nagy and John Cooksey $ 45

Looks good , and free tech support.

Anyone ??

Is Elite Video better than Vasst DVD Training

Do not, I repeat DO NOT get the Elite training DVD if you know your way around basic camera controls. ANY camera controls
This is ALL it covers.
It doesnt go into detail about the different focus options (IAF or normal and the nuances of IAF), It doesnt explain colour settings and matrices, it doesnt realy show you anythign that you wouldnt find in the manual.

Oh hey, heres the Iris wheel, this is what it does...

They mention afew things in the intro, such as custom preset tweaks and colour looks, but there is NONE of that in the DVD itself.
They talk about menus, but thats all there is... and it's nothing you couldnt learn by sitting down with the manual for a couple of hours.

To be honest, I was bitterly dissapoitned with the bad camera work (auto iris was used and you can clearly see it fluctuating as they move their fingers over certain controls which is very distracting.
Audio is terrible and considering it costs more than a regular DVD... well i could say something but I wont.
It seemed like I was watching some cheap hack job.
Now if it actually taught me something, I could forgive the bad camera work and pathetic (no, it really IS pathetic one channel coming from the left) sound

I havent seen DSE's training DVD, but I do know his production values are at least worth the investment.

I have the Vasst DVD . Go and check this sample video form Vasst and you will know how advance it shows you about the XHA1.

http://www.vasst.com/product.aspx?id=af5b083b-3102-4624-aafa-9d5315f4ee3d

I have the Elitevideo and it is a total waste of time and money. There's nothing on there that can't be found in the manual, I was very disappointed.

I expected them to go in-depth with some of the camera's features, they didn't.

Mark

I have the VASST training video for the A1. It is very extensive, even going into each custom preset value. The Elite video is basic and you could learn that by reading the manual.

JB

I think that a great training video would be invaluable for me as a new A1 owner. Ok, I'm not an owner yet, but the ol' boss should be handing down approval in the next week or so, so I really hope to acquire one.

But what I'd be looking for in a training DVD is something like this:

Host: Check out this control here. This parameter is called "knee." Basically, it controls blah, blah, blah in your image. Here take a look at this video sample...
(video sample goes full screen, shows some people sitting on a couch or something.)

Host: See how the image does this and this when "knee" is a negative value? (you can see whatever "knee" does actually changing the image.)

Host: Now watch me take "knee" to the extreme plus side. See how such and such is all blown out? (we see the screen shot of him tweaking "knee" and the change happening.) That's what "knee" does. You can combine it with "master pedestal" and "generic parameter x" to get this sort of look. (another screen shot).

Host: See, "knee", "parameter x" and "parameter b" all work together to control such and such in your image. Now let's check out zebra stripes and how to use them effectively...


Am I making sense? Does a video like this exist anywhere?

John,

I have had my A1 for about 6 months now and have been slowly getting better with it. I haven't gotten around to getting the VASST DVD for the A1 yet but I do intend to. From what I've read and seen from sample clips it goes way beyond your "how to" operate instructional video. Just from the advice I've received on here from the VASST people they have an enormous amount of information that has help me get more and more out of my videos.

As far as a Vegas work flow for getting the best looking DVD's I've been struggling with that for a while. I've gotten to the point where the picture quality is almost as good as store bought but I've come to realize that with the limitatons of using non professional software and cameras it just isn't gonna get there.

I have found surprisingly, that converting to CineForm Intermediate, editing the avi's, then encoding to MPEG2 yields better results than just editing the M2t files and rendering from those. I usually try t render at the highest bitrate possible and make sure that no additional rendering is done during the actual DVD creation (the MPEG2 file after VEGAS render is fully DVD compliant). The biggest problem I have is that I usually shoot live stage shows, dances, plays, etc. so the lighting and colors kill me. I've just gotten the VASST color correction video in hopes that it will give me some good info on how to best color correct so that on a TV it will give me the rich colors with enough contrast. When I shoot under controlled lighting conditions I can get some great looking DVD's.

Another thing that has helped me a lot is being able to see what an experienced shooter does an how they have there camera set up. If you're lucky you could maybe find someone who is willing to hire you to do some backup video for a multicamera shoot and that way they'll let you know what settings they like and you can also get some good feedback on your technique, framing, etc.

I bought the Elite video too and it's not very good.

I wouldn't say it's a complete waste of money but it is a bit rich getting advice from a video with shaky camerawork, fluctuating exposure, strange objects in the foreground, bad sound, out-of-focus footage, illogical menu etc etc.

I'm sure there must be a better DVD out there somewhere and I look forward to reading about it here.

Thanks for the info; you guys just saved me $50 bucks. I will order the VASST.

Will M.
That’s what I would like to see also in a Training DVD. Step by step in detail, and with video examples. I used to hook my GL2 up to the TV and see what each control would do. I learned a lot by doing that...and it was free.

My A1 should be here Friday, and I have permission from High Command for a Firestore FS-C 60.

Rob,
I'll totally be hooking the A1 up to my monitor and seeing what each control does. It would just be helpful if I could watch it a few times with someone explaining it to me. But I'll figure it out...now I've got to find a thread about calibrating my monitor... :)

Will,
Agreed:)

Rob,
I'll totally be hooking the A1 up to my monitor and seeing what each control does. It would just be helpful if I could watch it a few times with someone explaining it to me. But I'll figure it out...now I've got to find a thread about calibrating my monitor... :)

Download the demo Canon Console program (works in XP - not so good with Vista) and run through each setting. Great immediate feedback and you will have sample clips on your hard drive to compare.

The Pantone Huey is a great little tool for monitor calibration and you can get it for around $70-$75 (can be used to calibrate every monitor you own).

Anyone know if the VASST training video is available on PAL (UK) format? I have the Elite video but really like the sound of the VASST training video! I checked the VASST website but couldn't see anything about PAL there :o/

The ELITE training video is long winded showing the outside controls of the camera. Really not a professional level training video. Go with Douglas' video.

Anyone know if the VASST training video is available on PAL (UK) format? I have the Elite video but really like the sound of the VASST training video! I checked the VASST website but couldn't see anything about PAL there :o/

Peter

I have the VASST video, and although it's marked NTSC, I had no problems running it on a PC or a normal DVD player.

David

I would suggest that you go to expertvilliage.com and search "Canon XHA1". There is a guy named Noah that has a bunch of training videos on the A1. I leared a great deal there. YOu can also search you tube. The last time I looked there was plent of short training sessions there.

Okay thanks David and Kevin - will check them out. Much appreciated.

Peter

I have the VASST video, and it taught me loads of stuff about the camera. The best thing was after watching the DVD several times, I was not afraid to play with the controls. Before I got the DVD I had trouble getting back to the "normal" setting. You will please with this DV.

ken.

I have the Vasat Video and found it invaluable instruction on the custom presets etc. As one who never owned a camera, or camcorder in my life, I walked into my local camera store, and being a musician, I told the guy I wanted a video camera that had a plug in microphone.

He brought out the XH-A1 showed it to me, and I bought it that day not knowing what a great camera it was. I guess I was just lucky. However, I was completely overwhelmed by it and the Vasat video as well as this forum have been great. I just last week got around to downloading the presets and can't wait to play with these. I just bought a HV30 to complement the XH-A1.

I also would recommend the Expert Village YouTube videos, some good info on the basics.

YouTube - How to Use a Canon XH A1 Video Camera : Zoom Options for the Canon XH A1 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r8OQtzNJgUo&feature=PlayList&p=1CDDAA0EB0B2CE94&index=0&playnext=1)

Michael

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Thames Classical Guitars (http://thamesclassicalguitars.com/)

I too tried the Elite DVD which was a bit of a disappointment. I got it before getting the camera - thinking I'd be ready, but I'd have done just as well downloading the instruction manual! What bugged me was in the first few minutes they talk about presets and even mention one (about making a shot look like an old film I think) they actually say "but more about that later" but there isn't more about it later. I emailed them to ask if my DVD was missing something - but I never got a reply

I'd like to see the Vaast DVD but it is just too expensive for me

I too, considered a DVD 'crash' course on the XH-A1 whilst awaiting deliivery of the camera itself. I also watched the EXPERT Village tutorials which, in all honesty, (and no disrespect to their author), were pretty inconsequential: (Here's the Auto button....if you want manual, turn the dial to 'M', this is where you plug the Microphones in.... this is where you plug in the headphones etc...........

If you need tutorials for those kinds of aspects, then the camera is probably beyond your capabilities and needs. The manual that comes with the camera pretty much covered it all. I shot in full manual mode from day one and learned how to stop screwing up fairly quickly. Once I'd downloaded and tried a few pre-sets that I liked, away you go.

Constantly checking FOCUS is a must, I find. Keep the exposure meter balanced about right, give a stop or two, and you can't go too far wrong. Alternatively, lock the shutter at 1/50th and let the camera do its own thing for a nice 'filmic' look, especially in 25p (Pal land, 24 fps elsewhere), mode. Books and videos have ther use, but the cost of some of these courses, to my mind, is money better spent on tapes for practise.

Constantly checking FOCUS is a must, I find. Keep the exposure meter balanced about right, give a stop or two, and you can't go too far wrong. Alternatively, lock the shutter at 1/50th and let the camera do its own thing for a nice 'filmic' look, especially in 25p (Pal land, 24 fps elsewhere), mode. Books and videos have ther use, but the cost of some of these courses, to my mind, is money better spent on tapes for practise.

It's focus in manual mode I can't get to grips with, try as I might I twirl the ring and there doesn't seem as though much is happening even if I use the magnify button. Thankfully, auto focus has worked ok for me so far!

Just to go back on what you were saying about the controls, I agree that the manual covers practically all you need to know but it fails to explain what certain controls actually do or the implications of changing a setting. OK so you can shoot some footage and see for yourself, but not necessarily, the settings may not be visible on the subject your testing on, or the result may be perfect for what your testing on, then when you're off somewhere it produces total crap. All this test shooting is a painstaking tasks of trial and error whereas a mention in the manual, a book or DVD stating that doing this will result in that but beware of the other, at least saves times and reduces unnecessary wasted effort.